The Cranky Middle Manager Show #312 The Future of the MBA Ken Starkey
The Cranky Middle Manager Show # 213 The Lazy Project Manager- Peter Taylor
Posted on 31. Oct, 2009 by Wayne in General
Today the Cranky Middle Manager talks to the Lazy Project Manager and between them actually get something done! Peter Taylor joins us to talk project management efficiency, we look at a Roman Caesar who talked a good game and a Greek engineer. Such a classy show…….
Peter Taylor, the Lazy Project Manager.
This was the first picture I found, couldn’t be bothered to look any further. Probably an example of bad laziness but what are you gonna do?
Show Notes
0:00 Thanks for stopping by the show. Today we are talking laziness. There’s good laziness and bad laziness and a man who knew the difference was Archimedes….who did NOT invent the lever but did figure out how to get the job done right the first time. Something to be said for that.
3:15 The quote of the week is from Marcus Aurelius whose work I really like even though he didn’t really walk it like he talked it. At some point just reading and claiming to do research is really being lazy (bad lazy) so get on with it already!
4:14 Welcome Peter Taylor, the Lazy Project Manager to the show. Project Management is one of the 4 Disciplines of Highly Effective, Leadership Exhibiting, Project Nailing, Cheese Moving Managers. Can you be lazy and still get the job done? Well according to Peter (And Robert Heinlein) laziness is responsible for most of the progress in the world. Here’s another guy who understood that the lazy and smart make the best leaders: Field Marshal von Moltke
8:51 Delegation is hard and it’s a discipline to be learned. Sometimes we get dragged in to do the job but mostly we need to know the boundaries. Give yourself space and time… close the door on occasion and give yourself time to THINK.
10:24 This is probably the only management concept ever inspired by Monty Python’s Anne Elk character. Does this show have a dinosaur fetish? Check out Wally Bock and his Dinosaur Egg Theory.
12:24 Projects are thick at the beginning and end, thin in the middle. Trust me, this makes sense, but how you start is vital to how you finish. You can’t get lazy yet and you don’t want to finish lazy. Lots of time to read the paper in the middle.
14:44 A special bonus dinosaur theory: You don’t want to carry a dinosaur, you want to ride it. And if you can’t do that, then eat it. When you have to establish your leadership of a project, don’t be afraid to look like it. Dress for success.
17:00 Yeah, I know but communication is important and listen to this: 70% of your time on a project is spent communicating and there’s a difference between communication and reports. Lots of reports don’t communicate much of anything.
20:55 The other thick part of a project is at the end- you have to finish strong. Debriefs and consultation with stake holders is really important to making sure the next project goes well.
24:24 Peter’s Resources
Hey you can also hear John Warshawsky’s Cranky Interview Here
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